


Sparks and Scars

by Iantheforlornwriter



Series: Of Father And Son Universe [4]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alcohol, Awkward Conversations, Awkward Romance, Awkwardness, Drink With Me, Drinking, Drunkenness, Excessive Drinking, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gay Male Character, Gen, Heavy Drinking, M/M, Mass Effect - Freeform, Science Fiction, scifi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-03
Packaged: 2018-07-11 18:48:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7065874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iantheforlornwriter/pseuds/Iantheforlornwriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A drunk Tali is stopped by Shepard before she can drink herself under the table. Garrus, being the good friend he is and also harbouring feelings for his Quarian friend, stays with her in the lounge until she sleeps it off. Perhaps today would be the day he asked her out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Garrus Vakarian was seated on the comfiest part of the lounge: the sofa. His attention was focused entirely on the drunk Quarian sipping happily and vehemently away at the drink that was loosely rested in her three fingered hands. He could see she was out of it, she was laughing at everything Shepard said to her -even when he was trying to be serious. 

"Tali..." He could hear Shepard drawl with a heavy sigh. "Ease up on the drinking." He placed his thumb and middle finger on his forehead, rubbing them in place. He had just returned from securing peace between the Quarians and Geth, so drunk and tipsy Tali shouldn't have been a problem to rectify he thought. He had his work cut out for him. 

"Shepard! Join me for a," A loud hiccup erupted from her suit's speakers. Garrus had to hide his face behind the datapad he was reading to stop himself from laughing. Shepard caught wind of that. "Drink." She said finally after a moment's silence. 

"I think you've had enough. How *are* you drinking with your suit anyway?" He sighed as he grabbed the drink from her and dunked it into the sink. Garrus moved his legs to the side, readying himself to get up and clean the glass for them. A signal from Shepard for him to sit down however, erased all of his good intentions. "I'll handle it, Garrus. Rest. We just got back from Rannoch." He said to his Turian friend. 

Moving over to the sink, Shepard vigorously scrubbed at the smooth surface of the glass, trying to get soap into every crook and cranny. 

"How's Kaidan's Migraines?" Garrus asked out of courtesy and also of some sincerity. He was aware of the fact that the Commander and the Major were now an item. Something he wished to inquire more if time allowed him to do so. 

"Better. He's sleeping it off." Shepard scowled as Tali tried to claw at his hoodie, reaching for the glass he had now dried and placed on the side of the counter. "*No more*." He said sternly as he lifted the delirious Quarian from the stool and rested her slowly onto the couch next to Garrus. 

"You're such a poopy pooper." Tali said.

"*Party* pooper." Shepard said, correcting her.

"Right." 

"Make sure she doesn't drink anymore." He commanded Garrus as he walked to the door. "I'm going to have a talk with Joker about making a pit stop at the Citadel." 

Garrus had to push the now very touchy Tali away from him as she collapsed into the pillow, black as tar, and conveniently fell asleep. Her snoring was amplified by the speakers in her suit. There had to be an off button for that. He didn't dare touch her suit though. Besides the clearly intricate and elaborate functions the suit was built to do, it wasn't the galaxy's best kept secret that he carried the torch for her. "Uh..." Garrus said awkwardly as Tali sprung both feet onto his lap. "What for?" 

"I think it's time we've had some shore leave. Keep up the morale." 

"Good idea." He looked down, staring at the fine details of her suit and how it perfectly contoured to her shape. He had to shake himself away from the glaring he was now bestowing upon her. "Do we need to inform Dr. Chakwas about this?" 

"She’ll be fine. Just let her sleep." Pressing the green holo button in the middle of the door, the doors hissed and wooshed open. Before stepping out, the Commander turned back to meet Garrus in the eyes. "Oh, and Garrus?" He said with a grin.

"Yes?" 

"Good luck." Shepard snickered at his own attempt of getting them closer and walked out. He couldn't wait to tell Kaidan. 

"Thanks, Shepard, I guess." 

\----

"Oh my aching head." Tali said with pain striking at her brain like hammers striking at a large bell. Each impact reverberated her very skull, making her dizzy when she tried to get up. It was only at her second attempt did she notice Garrus asleep, snoring, next to her. Her feet wasn't dangling over the edge of the sofa as she initially assumed. It was rested comfortably on Garrus's laps. He must've remained in the very position he sat in to ensure she didn't wake up. She was honestly touched by his sentiment. Shifting her weight to the side of the couch, Tali pushed herself up and sat properly next to her Turian guardian. 

"Garrus?" She asked quietly. Nobody else was in the lounge with them. She placed a careful hand on his leg, trying to wake him up.

It worked a little to well, making the overly cautious Turian jerk up, waking him up almost immediately after she had placed her hand on his leg.

"Keelah, Garrus." Tali said, reeling back from shock.

"Sorry, I'm not used to ah...people touching me." 

"But you're used to shooting them?" She asked with a laugh. She shook her head, but she was pretty sure Garrus would only see her mask waving from side to side. 

"You okay? I can get Dr. Chakwas." He said urgently as he got up. 

"Garrus, I just had too much to drink. It's alright, I'm not going to die from alcohol poisoning or anything." She smiled. He couldn't see her smile behind her helmet though. 

"Right, okay. How're you feeling?" Garrus scooted over to the arm rest of the couch, positioning himself so he could face her. Or at least, face her helmet. 

"Like the reaper we took down fell on me." 

"That'd be a sight to see. Squashed Quarian." 

"I'm sure Javik would say that was a delicacy in his time or something." 

"You should've seen the way the Salarians reacted when he told them their livers were a delicacy in his cycle back on Surkesh." 

"Keelah, who would've thought Protheans would be so-" Garrus interrupted her before she could finish.

"Barbaric?" 

"Prehistoric." 

Garrus nodded as his mandibles flared to what Tali assumed was the Turian equivalent of grinning ear to ear. She in turn, laughed pretty heartily as well.

There was silence between them for a while. An awkward one. They were both friendly with one another, yes that was for sure. They had been through a lot, that was another plus Garrus could check off of his list. From rescuing her with Shepard; Saren; the suicide mission on the Collector Base, and now zipping across clusters of galaxy amassing war assets to save the world from an opposing synthetic race? There was nothing else that could've brought them closer. Yet, he still felt like they were miles apart. Why couldn't he just bring himself to say it? He wanted, with every fibre of his being, to just ask her out. 

Tali played on her omnitool, trying to avoid the uneasy air of silence that formed around them. The atmosphere was getting tense, and a little bit awkward. She appreciated Garrus so much as a friend. She supposed she always wanted more, well, that is after she got over her schoolgirl crush on Shepard. She loved how loyal he was; how willing he was to put everything on the line to do what he thought was right. She admired him; honestly she even wanted to spend some time alone with him. It's only been a week since she's been back on the Normandy. She prioritised Rannoch and the safety of her people first instead of talking to him and she was glad she did. She even forced herself to stay in the War Room so she wouldn't be tempted to ignore her duties. Not that she would've anyway, her people was very important to her.

"Listen..." Garrus said in his usual, distinctive, flanging voice. Tali loved it when he spoke. She turned her omnitool off and waited for him to speak. "Shepard just told me we'd be dropping by The Citadel to catch some much needed shore leave and I was wondering if you'd want to..." He looked away, outlining the rectangular shape of the pool table with his mind. "Catch dinner sometime. Or lunch if dinner's not your thing." 

"I'd love to, Garrus. Shall we set a date?" She said. She was glad he couldn't see her behind the mask. Her teeth was showing from how much she was grinning. 

"A-" He choked on his words, having to catch himself again before he continued. "A date?" 

"That's why you're asking me out, isn't it?" 

"Uh..." 

"Garrus, I'd love dinner."

"Great! Let me just check for restaurants." He said, mandibles flaring up again. She decided that really was the Turian equivalent of smiling. "There's this great sushi place there. We could go there?" 

"Deal." 

"Citadel, ETA five minutes." Joker's voice blared over the intercoms. 

They'd be having their dinner soon then. 

"So..." Garrus started to say. "Want to play a game of poker before we get there?" 

"You're on."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garrus asks Shepard for some relationship advice.

Garrus was never impatient once in his life. Even as a child, his father had instilled within him this very virtue. He took pride in it, he believed it made him a better man. This was especially true when he joined the military and became C-Sec. Commanding officers loved a patient squad member who could listen and take orders. But now, standing outside the lift in Bay D24, he was rather *impatient*. 

He supposed it was because this time, Tali was joining him. Just the mere mention of her name made his throat dry and his mandibles flare up in a smile. Garrus was never really one for interspecies relationships, but with this one Quarian? He was more than willing to make an exception. 

It felt strange to be out of his armour. He never really went anywhere without making sure he was heavily fortified with defences. In his best, civilian suit, Garrus felt extremely defenceless. However, the blue and white of his suit really did bring out his eyes. And, he noticed, when people looked at his eyes, the very next logical step to take was to look at his scars. He remembered Tali saying it made him look mysterious. He was hoping she'd notice this time too.

"I can't believe you're asking me this." Shepard's voice erupted from his omnitool's speakers. 

"Go easy on me, Shepard. This is the first time I've ever done anything like this." Garrus replied hastily. He's never spoken this fast before. 

"Calm down. And, how am I supposed to help you anyway? I've never been in an interspecies relationship." Shepard continued. He couldn't believe, of all the members in his squad, Garrus was asking him relationship advice. He had expected Joker about EDI, but never this. In a way, he found it amusing. 

"You're with Kaidan." Garrus said after a short pause.

"The last I check, he was human." 

"Yeah..." Garrus drawled.

"You're not seriously implying what I think you're implying, are you?" The Commander sighed, shaking his head. Back on the Normandy, Shepard was busily checking the war room's terminal, ensuring that their war assets were all properly catalogued and organised. This was, frankly, beneath him at the moment. 

"It's kind of like it. Foreign, I mean." 

"A homosexual relationship is nothing like an interspecies one, Garrus." Shepard was now smirking. The innocence was simply emanating from his Turian squad-mate. It was honestly entertaining. 

"Just -answer the question." 

"I'm pretty sure Tali already likes you. Or else she wouldn't have agreed to go out for dinner with you." 

"Yeah, right, right."

"Just talk to her. Get to know her."

"And don't point a gun in each other's face?" Garrus said jokingly. 

"Okay, this conversation is over. Good luck, Garrus." With that, their conversation ended. The orange communication device dissipated in the air as the holo lights disappeared with a press of a button. 

He was getting over his head, wasn't he? He had fallen head over heels for this one Quarian, and now he was doing things he never thought he would be doing. Perhaps they were taking this to fast. A quiet dinner where they both could talk privately in the mess hall would've been better. He should've just suggested that. How would it look like when they see the Quarian Admiral dining with her Turian friend. He didn't want any sort of implication to befall her either.

"How do I look?" A heavily accented voice said. 

Garrus turned around, revealing the very Quarian he was thinking about, looking almost exactly the same except for a white coloured suit and an orange belt. "The same?" Garrus said without thinking. He hit figurative him in his head. He always had something counter with, but all that went out the window when she made her presence known.

"I know, this is already my sexiest belt." She said, flirting. Garrus never realised how much the suit contoured to her body. Her waist was wide, he couldn't take his eyes off her. The suit was tighter, less padded. 

"Uh..." He started to speak, awkwardly. "Want to take a walk before we head to the restaurant?" 

"Sure." She let out an arm, waiting for him to hook his around hers. Garrus nervously did so.

At first, he realised how much softer the suit felt. It was like that human cloth: silk. When their arms were hooked and they began walking, he started to notice her belt. It was looser. It wasn't about making sure the suit was secure, it was more about accessorising. She was dressed to kill as much as he was; in a way a Quarian could be of course. Which was also then, did Garrus realise, that her suit was thinner. This was as close as he got to touching her skin and he was pretty sure that was what Tali intended as well. He decided to cherish every moment they had tonight, before facing the Reapers on Earth in London. It was three days of shore leave, Shepard insisted they had one to improve all of The Normandy's crew's morale. 

"So..." Tali began to say as they pressed the button on the lift and awaited its arrival. "Were you waiting long?" She asked, finally. 

"Not really. I was talking to Shepard." He replied honestly.

"Oh, what about?" 

"Just..." Garrus hesitated for a split second. "Tactics." 

"Well, we're forgetting about that tonight. Tonight, it's just you and me and Ryuusei Sushi Place." 

"Deal." Garrus nodded, encouragingly. This prompted Tali to continue talking.

"I can't believe there's a restaurant on the citadel that carries Dextro Sushi. I always wanted to try some. Shepard seemed to make a big deal about it." The lift doors hissed open. Stepping inside, Tali waited for Garrus to press the floor they were going to do he could reply her.

"He's talked to you about going there?" Garrus asked, genuinely surprised. He thought *he* was the only person to talk to Shepard about them. Perhaps, Tali had also talked to him. Asked his advice maybe. For some odd reason, that made his heart skip a beat. He loved this woman standing right before him, and if she truly did that, then perhaps it is the right time to take the next step. To hell with it if it seemed to fast. They might all be dead in a few days anyway.

"He says he's going there with Joker tonight." 

That complicated things.

"Let's hope we don't run into them." Garrus said before being able to catch himself.

"You don't want to join them?" Tali asked, teasingly. Her tone of voice now reaching the high pitch she was always fond of making when she was being playful. That was another thing Garrus loved about her.

"Tali," He had built up all his courage from his initial resolution in the lounge all the way to his talk with Shepard on his omnitool. Perhaps it really was the right time to say it; the right time to let his heart soar for once and ignore whatever consequences it might have on both of them. It was time he felt alive, more alive than when Shepard and him took the shuttle up the Presidiums. "I want you all to myself tonight." 

There was no answer. Not for a while anyway. Garrus' mind started to race. Maybe she was just playing around after all. Maybe she was just pulling his leg; having fun as two close friends would. 

The lift doors hissed open, the metal contraption wooshing open as they reached their floor.

"That's something we can work out." She said, definitely smiling behind the mask. It was the kind of sound one made when their lips curled upward.

That quelled any of the Turian's worries.


End file.
